The present invention relates to the printing job workflow management process.
The printing industry is rapidly adopting automated workflow processes, including processes that allow customers to electronically obtain print job estimates and to electronically submit print jobs. The Internet has accelerated this process by allowing users to request and receive print job estimates, and to submit print jobs to printing company web sites, via a browser.
In a typical process, the customer inputs print job specifications via a browser interface provided by a printing company and receives a job quote, including a cost estimate, based on the specifications. A print job identification number is assigned to the job quote and is stored in the company""s server. If, or when, the customer wishes to proceed with the print job, the customer electronically submits the print job by uploading an electronic document containing production data (i.e., the print job), along with the print job identification number, to the company. The printing company receives the electronic document and then immediately proceeds to process the print job. Alternatively, the printing company may retrieve the job quote from its server before proceeding to process the print job.
A common problem that occurs in this automated process is that one or more specifications in the job quote do not match the actual specifications of the print job. This may be due to a change made by the customer from the time when the customer requested the job quote to the time when the final production data was generated. This may also be due to a misunderstanding by the customer of what specifications should have been entered for a print job when the job quote was requested. Regardless of the reasons for any discrepancies, the result is that the customer""s cost estimate is either too high or too low for the customer""s actual print job. Three scenarios are possible when such discrepancies occur.
First, the printing company may be aware of the discrepancy and will decide to perform the print job for the quoted price, thereby either incurring a loss of expected profit margin if the cost of the actual job is greater than the cost estimate, or benefiting from a higher than expected profit margin if the cost of the actual job is less than the cost estimate. Neither situation is ideal because one of the parties will not receive the proper or expected value for their money or services.
Second, the printing company may be unaware of the discrepancy and will perform the print job for the quoted price. If the printing company discovers the discrepancy before the customer is invoiced, the printing company faces the same choices as described above. If the printing company never discovers the discrepancy, the printing company will lose some control over its business model since expected revenue may not match expected expenses.
Third, the printing company may be aware of the discrepancy and may decide to contact the customer to discuss the discrepancy. Such manual intervention is inefficient and adds additional time to the process.
Other problems occur in such automated printing processes. For example, a job quote may be based upon the use of a particular type of printing production equipment but the actual print job may not be optimized for that type of equipment. Thus, while the print job can be completed, the quality will not be as good as the equipment can provide. This type of problem is not automatically flagged by printing companies that accept electronic production data since conventional preflight software will not identify this problem.
Yet another problem is that the actual print job may not even be able to be performed by the type of printing production equipment described in the job quote specifications. Conventional preflight software will not automatically identify this problem. Manual user input is required to identify the type of printing production equipment before preflight software can perform this function.
Despite the large number of printing companies that do business over the Internet and other electronic networks, there are no known schemes that automatically compare job quotes with production data and identify any discrepancies, illegal parameters, un-optimized production data, and the like. The present invention provides such a scheme.
A first embodiment of the present invention provides an automated computer-implemented method of comparing a job quote for a print job with production data for a print job that is related to the job quote. The job quote is stored in an electronic file and contains a plurality of estimate-related specifications. The production data is stored in an electronic document. In the method, the estimate-related specifications of the job quote file are entered into a comparison engine. The production data file is analyzed to determine its actual specifications, and at least some of the actual print job specifications are entered into the comparison engine. Next, the comparison engine compares the estimate-related specifications to the actual print job specifications, and outputs any discrepancies therebetween.
Examples of discrepancies include: the number of pages in the estimate-related specifications do not match the number of pages in the actual print job specifications; the number of colors in the estimate-related specifications do not match the number of colors in the actual print job specifications; the size of the pages in the estimate-related specifications do not match the size of the pages in the actual print job specifications; the bleeds in the estimate-related specifications do not match the bleeds in the actual print job specifications; and, the ink coverage in the estimate-related specifications do not match the ink coverage in the actual print job specifications.
Discrepancies may fall into the categories of an xe2x80x9calert,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9ca warning,xe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9cmajor problem.xe2x80x9d An alert type discrepancy is addressable without any input by a human operator and is thus automatically addressed via print control process software, and without any input by the human operator. A warning type discrepancy must be addressed by human operator input. If a warning type discrepancy occurs, a plurality of selectable printing job-related choices are displayed at a workstation and a human operator inputs one of the selectable choices via the workstation. The warning type discrepancy is then automatically addressed via print control process software by using the choice selected by the operator without any further input by the human operator. A major problem discrepancy cannot be resolved automatically or by human operator input using the existing job quote and production data. If a major problem type discrepancy occurs, an electronic job quote process may be initiated to allow a revised job quote to be prepared that addresses the major problem type discrepancy. Alternatively, instructions are communicated to an operator via a workstation display to prepare a revised production data file that addresses any identified major problem type discrepancy.
In another embodiment of the present invention, one of the estimate-related specifications includes the type of printing production equipment being used for the print job, wherein each type of printing production equipment includes a set of optimum performance parameters. In this embodiment, the specification of the type of printing production equipment being used for the print job is entered into the comparison engine. The comparison engine then compares the actual print job specifications to the optimum performance parameters or to a range of optimum performance parameters for the entered printing production equipment, and outputs any actual print job specifications that are not optimum or are not in the optimum range for the entered printing production equipment. In one optimization checking process, the resolution of the actual print job is compared to the optimum resolution or to an optimum range of resolutions for the entered printing production equipment, and a signal is output if the actual resolution of the print job is not optimum or is not in an optimum range for the entered printing production equipment.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the comparison engine compares the actual print job specifications to the capabilities of the entered printing production equipment, and outputs any actual print job specifications that are not capable of being met by the entered printing production equipment.
The analysis of the production data file to determine its actual specifications may be performed by using preflight software.